


Unwrapping

by WaterlilyRose



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hurt/Comfort, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Rey's New Armband, Tumblr Prompt, episode IX speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 06:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17844035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterlilyRose/pseuds/WaterlilyRose
Summary: Ben gently removing Rey’s new armband.





	Unwrapping

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a Tumblr Prompt.
> 
> My Tumblr is https://waterlilyrose.tumblr.com/

It wasn’t a big deal. She had gained scars before. Plenty of them actually – you can’t live on Jakku without gaining your fair share really. But this was different.

 

She’d gained this one in the Throne Room. When she was fighting alongside him.

 

For the first day, she hadn’t noticed it. She was so busy trying to get the remaining Resistance members to a safe location and helping to tend to Rose that her own arm was exactly a priority. It was Poe Dameron, of all people, who noticed it.

 

“You’ll need some bacta on that.” He said pointing at the cut. “Although it’s been twenty-four hours – you may have a scar anyway.”

 

Rey had nodded her thanks and worn long sleeves for the rest of the Falcon’s journey.

 

It looked like two hands reaching out to one another. And wasn’t that just a kick in the ribs?

 

They’d both reached out to each other over that fire and the touch had been everything she had been waiting for. It gave her back her purpose and hope – hope that this lost young man could come back to the right side.

 

Her side.

 

He’d seen a vision too. But he’d chosen to interpret it completely different. He saw power and glory and wanted Rey at his side.

 

He held out his hand for her and asked her to join him. To participate in the destruction of all she held dear. Surely he knew she couldn’t reach out for that?

 

Rey hid her wound. She got a piece of a leather armband and tied it high up her arm. It hid her scar and all memory of him.

 

Him with his soft words and utterly betrayed face when she had reached out her hand to not join him but to grab the lightsaber for herself.

 

But the Force Bond wouldn’t leave well enough alone.

 

She fought to keep him out. With her rage and disappointment, it was easy at first. If his face did appear, she was often in the company of others and could turn away from him to laugh at a joke that was actually not at all funny.

 

But he refused to take the hint. And eventually materialised when she was alone in her quarters.

 

“I’m getting ready for bed. Go away!” Rey snapped as she turned her back on him and made a great show of checking her teeth in the mirror.

 

“I can’t! That’s not the way Force Bonds work – remember?” Kylo snapped, clearly irritated at being ignored and being there at all.

 

“Well, haven’t you got anything else to do – like curl your hair or something?”

 

“I don’t curl my hair!”

 

“Sure...” Rey drawled.

 

There was a silence as Rey washed her hands in the sink and for a moment hoped he had faded away. But then she felt gentle fingers on her arm.

 

“What’s this?”

 

Rey tried to shrug him off. “Just an arm band. Found it on a backwater market.”

 

“Does it hurt you?”

 

“No, the wound has healed fine.” Rey tried not to dwell on the fact that the pain she felt wasn’t skin-deep.

 

“Why do you cover it up? Ashamed?”

 

“No!” Rey snapped and looked him in the face for the first time. He looked tired – his facial scar had faded to a thin line. “I just-”

 

“-don’t like to remember?”

 

Rey said nothing. She couldn’t really think of anything to say. His fingers crept to the strings keeping it bound tightly and began to undo them. Rey looked at him for an explanation.

 

“You can’t sleep with this still on.” He said simply as he slowly undid the knot and began to unwind the leather material. He was methodical in his slowness and then there it was – her scar.

 

It was more pinkish than red now but the memory of her duel was still fresh in her mind. It had been a close thing but she’d won.

 

What she had won was up for debate.

 

Kylo looked at and his thumb stroked it gently. He was close enough for Rey to smell. He smelt of wood smoke and male.

 

“I saw it happen.”

 

“What?” Rey whispered.

 

“I saw him cut you. He slashed out and cut your arm. You cried out but didn’t stop. I was surrounded by three Pretorian Guards – but I was coming. I wasn’t going to let him do it again.”

 

Rey remembered. He’d been amazing – he fought like he was in a bar brawl in a cantina but brought the finest guards at Snoke’s disposal to their knees. She’d been proud to fight at his side.

 

Kylo bent down and Rey gasped as he pressed his lips to the mark. He caught her eyes as he straightened up again.

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there quicker.”


End file.
